The Best and Worst Games of 2025

[Frickinfrik]

Since the dreaded Game Awards are tomorrow, I’m going to share my non-biased list on what I think the best and worst games of this year are.

Best:
Doom: The Dark Ages
Hollow Knight: Sliksong
Expedition 33
Ninja Gaiden 4
Metal Gear Delta
Silent Hill f
Donkey Kong Bananza
Mario Kart World
Metroid Prime 4 (fuck you, Twitter!)
Ghost of Yotei
Pac Man World 2 RePac
Kirby Air Riders


Worst:
Mindseye
Assassins Creed Shadows
NS2: Welcome Tour
COD: Black Ops 7
Battlefield 6
Sonic Racing Crossworlds
Sonic Rumble
Tamagotchi Plaza
Bubsy in: the “purrfect” collection
Persona 5: The Phantom X

 

[Jeff]

Best
Donkey Kong Bananza
Mario Kart World
Kirby Air Riders
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (SHUT IT, SOCIAL MEDIA)
Fantasy Life: The Girl who Steals Time
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
Shanate: Risky Revolution
Pac-Man World 2: RePac
Once upon a Katamari
Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Marvel Universe: Cosmic Invasion
Kirby Forgotten Land DLC: Star Crossed World

Worst
Drag X Drive
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour
Fire Emblem Shadows

Mid
Sonic Racing Crossroads (I can't stand the Sonic fandom)
Sonic Rumble

 

[VampireLord1024VampireLord1024's icon]

If counting rom hacks then Super Mariomon.

 

[TruxtonTatsujin TruxtonTatsujin]

I didn't play any new release this year so I have no opinions one way or the other.

 

[moonbits]

Lost Soul Aside was garbage but other than that one, great year.

 

[Guinea]

If counting rom hacks then Super Mariomon.

Wait, are you saying Mariomon is good or bad?

I vote... good af.

 

[Jayonnaise6105 Jayonnaise6105]

I played...

Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (actual 2025 game)

Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection (assortment of GB & GBA YGO games from 20+ years ago)

Hello Kitty Island Adventure (PS5 version came out this year, although it's a few years old on Apple)

Locomoto (Actual 2025 game)

 

[Sandro The Great]

The best games are the ones I had fun with they are proboly not the best but they are the ones I enjoyed the most.

Where winds meet
Potion Permit
Riftbreaker
Visions of mana
Rimmworld
Monster hunter world
Tropical monster girls
Final fantasy 16
Everspace

These are the games I played this year that I enjoy they might not be games from this year but I play the games I have and can afford.

 

[Guinea]

@Sandro The Great

Potion Permit is a damn good game, so is Visions of Mana and FF16. Good tastes, gamer.

 

[dropsmegamega]

I've only played Silent Hill f and VtMB2 and I liked neither.

Well, I guess there's Stray Children which is from 2024, but only released recently in the west. But although I didn't hate it, it was kinda disappointing too.

Hmm... Ah, there was a new module for NWN, Doom of Icewind Dale, which I played like one hour and was pretty decent, my vote goes to that.

 

[TruxtonTatsujin TruxtonTatsujin]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection (assortment of GB & GBA YGO games from 20+ years ago)

Oh I forgot I about that. I picked up the Switch version. I guess that's my goty

 

[Jayonnaise6105 Jayonnaise6105]

Oh I forgot I about that. I picked up the Switch version. I guess that's my goty

February feels like 3 years ago to me hehe

 

[Stare best girl]

I only played Xenosaga Pied Piper fan-remake

 

[bjork]

Most memorable things I played in 2025, new or otherwise
Blue Prince
Tokyo Xtreme Racer (the new one)
Kollywood: The Game
Zelda II Enhanced (idk the real name, but the widescreen remake)
Metro Gravity
Barbie on Apple II (I didn't know this existed until this year)
Musketeer on C64
Trainatic
ROGUEish on C64
Megabonk
Sherwood on C64

There would've probably been more, but I've been busier than usual. Moved twice this year, dealing with my father's death and everything associated with that, etc.
One that I haven't played the full game of but just a demo is called Light Up the Town, where you're a little ferrett kid putting up christmas lights because your father is unable to this year. Seems really cute.

 

[Luxfin]

Things that I played throughout this year,
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
The Smurfs and Smurfs Nightmare (Gameboy)
Silent Hill 2 Enhanced Edition/Restless Dreams ( because I couldn't play Remake with my rx5500xt)
Majora's Mask Recomp (Vanilla as I could. Although I am replaying it with mods).
Oot via Ship of Harkinian
Korn Kidz.
LoZ: Wind Waker HD
LoZ; Twilight Princess HD
Amazing Spider Man The Game
Pokemon White
Pokemon Omega Ruby
Pokemon Lazarus
Sonic 1 (8-Bit)
Spirou (Gameboy)
Lucky Luke (Gameboy)
Rollerdrome
Tunic

This year was just something that felt different from the rest mainly because I am just taking time to beat these games. As well as other important things that is happening that is diverting my attention from the new stuff. Maybe next year would be different.

 

[Aziamuth]

The best game this year didn't even come out this year (it's Until Then).

 

[X y b e r - S k u ll]

Didn't play a single new game this year. My GOTY goes to Kingdom Hearts 2 FM, which I replayed this year (As I did last year lol).

 

[BiriCross]

I only played the Sonic Racing CrossWorld demo.
I liked it, but it's too expensive.